Bi-County Fair gearing up for Labor Day
Kendra Power of Thoreau stands in the a pen while one her pigs sticks its nose in through the bars on Saturday at the Bi-county Fair in Prewitt. Power took home a fourth place ribbon in the Heavyweight Cross Hog category. [photo by Brian Leddy / Independent]

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

PREWITT — Labor Day weekend is only 24 days away, and that means it’s time for the annual Cibola-McKinley Bi-County Fair.

There are a couple of changes this year with the major change being that anyone entering the Open Division is required to pay a $1 fee for each entry.

“The cost of everything is going up, and we have to buy ribbons and trophies for the fair every year,” Dee Anne Leyba, fair board president, said.

“It’s unfair for 4-H Club members to pay for the fair, through entry fees and exhibit fees, all by themselves,” she said.
Club members pay entry fees of $10 per animal, such as: Steer, goats, lambs and pigs; between $2-$3 for chickens and rabbits and $1 for 4-H indoor exhibits.

The open division, which allows anyone, including non 4-H members to enter in such categories as canned foods and fruit, vegetables grown in a home garden, sewing, baking and photography, will now have to pay $1.

Last year the fair board added a watermelon eating contest, which was extremely popular and will continue as an event again this year, Leyba said.

Admission to the fair remains free to the public because of local donations by area businesses.

There will be three cleanup days at the fairgrounds, Aug. 10, 16-17.

The fair board is also seeking volunteers to help with the fair this year, especially on Friday, Aug. 29, when open division entries are checked in, Leyba said.

After the story about the Cibola County 4-H Achievement Day appeared in the Independent last week, several people have asked Leyba if McKinley County 4-H Clubs are no longer participating in the Bi-County Fair, she said.

“McKinley County 4-H Clubs are participating in the fair, the clubs just do not have an achievement day like Cibola County does,” Leyba said, hoping to clear the air about that question.

Volunteer and fair information: (505) 863-3432.
On the Net: http://bi-countyfair.com/
To contact reporter Jim Tiffin call (505) 285-4560 or e-mail: jtiffin.independent@yahoo.com.